KwaThema – A former soccer player, long-distance runner Mashini says that he has done everything possible to prepare himself for the marathon.
“Most people don’t believe that I have only been running for four years.”
He finished his first Comrades, in 2015, in 8hrs 20min, winning a Bill Rowan medal.
“I think I did really well for a first-timer, at the time,” he adds.
The Comrades Marathon has an up-run and a down-run.
“The up-run is the route from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
“And the down-run is from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.”
This year’s race will be the 47th up-run and Mashinini hopes to finish it in 7hrs 20min.
He says that his training programme for the past 11 months has been more intense than any other before.
He believes that diet is just as important as training, because it is food that fuels the body.
“I have put in my best effort.
“I have also been taking part in a few long races along the way,” he says.
Mashinini finished the 42km Mandela Marathon in September in 3hrs 15min.
He says he is now resting from racing while he waits for the big day.
